Obama Raises Money in CA off Kevin McCarthy’s Misfortune

President Barack Obama raised money across California this weekend, while U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy went into seclusion upon returning home to Bakersfield. Obama even poked fun at the turmoil in Republican ranks, which intensified when McCarthy withdrew from the Speaker’s race in the House.

At a fundraiser hosted by rapper Kanye West, who says he will run for president in 2020, Obama quipped: “You may have heard about how Kanye is thinking about running…for speaker of the House. It couldn’t get any stranger.”

Local ABC News affiliate KERO reported that “nobody has heard from” McCarthy since he returned home to his district on Friday. McCarthy’s local staff rejected rumors he will resign from his post as Majority Leader, or will quit Congress altogether, following fevered speculation about a personal scandal. Locals voiced support for him.

In addition to the fundraiser hosted by West in San Francisco, Obama attended a pair of Hollywood fundraisers in L.A. before heading to San Diego Saturday evening for what is being described as a “mysterious” private visit.